Army of Anubis
The Army of Anubis is a fictional supernatural army featured in the film The Mummy Returns. This army was created entirely with computer-generated (CGI) effects and was a major plot element in the movie. The Army of Anubis is now a popular feature of the film. Originally in service to the Egyptian god Anubis, the Army was then handed over to the dying warrior Mathayus (The Scorpion King) after he made a deal with Anubis. He was given command of the invincible, bloodthirsty army of jackal-headed humanoids and proceeded to use them to lay waste to the city of Thebes. However, Anubis then forced the Scorpion King to become his eternal servant, turning him into a monstrous scorpion beast and returning the Army of Anubis to the sands from whence they came…where they would wait until called forth once again to lay waste to the world. This is where the film The Mummy Returns begins. History: The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns introduces the Army in a narrated prologue by Ardeth Bay, who recites a legend of the great warlord The Scorpion King, and how his army was defeated in battle. He made a pact with the Egyptian deity known as Anubis, a humanoid with the head of a jackal. In return for his soul, Anubis would give him his own personal army, made of soldiers created in his own image (possibly a reference to the Christian God and how he made mankind ‘in His own image’) and was enchanted to be completely invincible. The Scorpion King succeeded in destroying the city of Thebes, but was then dragged to the Underworld and mutated into a unholy creature by Anubis himself, and the Army was sent into an infinite slumber. The legend went that every 5,000 years the Scorpion King (along with the Army of Anubis) would awaken and once again attempt to destroy and conquer civilization. Whoever could kill the Scorpion King (with the ancient golden spear known as the Spear of Osiris) could have a choice of: 1) Take command of the Army and use it to rule the earth, or 2) Send both the Scorpion King’s spirit and the Army back to the Underworld. Exactly 5,000 years later, in the year 1933 AD, archeologists Rick O’Connell, Evelyn (Evey) O’Connell and her brother Jonathan, as well as her son Alex, discover the Bracelet of Anubis. This bracelet was once worn by the Scorpion King, and is the key to unlocking and reviving the Army. Alex puts on the bracelet, unaware that he now has seven days to reach the Golden Pyramid of Ahm Shere in order to confront the Scorpion King. Alex is soon kidnapped by a cult that worships (and has resurrected) the undead, cursed mummy Imhotep. The boy’s parents go on a quest both to rescue Alex and to beat Imhotep to Ahm Shere before he slays the Scorpion King and takes command of the Army. By the film’s climax, the cult leader Hafez has stolen the Bracelet of Anubis, and inserts his arm wearing the bracelet into a hole inside a giant scorpion statue within the Gold Pyramid. Instantly the entire Pyramid is bathed in light, and is restored to its former condition 5,000 years ago. A massive scorpion-shaped shadow falls across the desert outside the Oasis, where the Medjai army has gathered to face the undead warriors. Sure enough, the shadow causes the sand which it touches to become ash, and from this ashy, tar-like substance grows the soldiers of the Army of Anubis, starting out as blobs of goo and then morphing into jackal-headed humanoids, shaking off the sand like common dogs. Snarling, the Army engages the Medjai in battle. However, the Army of Anubis puts up an unexpectedly pathetic fight, easily being killed by decapitation and were unable to present any challenge (seemingly only one one of them was able to kill an opponent), and are soon completely slaughtered. Ardeth Bay, the Medjai chieftain, notices the odd ease of their victory, and then hears a vast rumble from ahead. Running with frantic speed, he makes it to the top of a dune, along with his men…and sees a mammoth, never-ending army of Anubis warriors, stretching off into the distance. It appears that the ‘first wave’ was meant to be a distraction while the genuine army would slaughter their foes in a surprise attack. Just as the bloodthirsty army is about to collide with the brave-yet-hopelessly-outnumbered Medjai, Rick O’Connell succeeds in killing the Scorpion King, ordering the Army to instantly return to the Underworld. In a gigantic, suffocating blast of black sand and ash, the Army of Anubis vaporizes into thin air, and the saved Medjai call out with relief and triumph. The Army is no more… Appearance: The Army of Anubis is made up of thousands upon thousands of nine feet tall humanoid dog-men who resemble mutant, mummified jackals. Many wear a headdress similar to that worn by Ancient Egyptian pharaohs, in particular King Tutankhamun, as well as golden armor and jewelry (some can even be spotted with piercings). Filled with razor-sharp teeth, armed with scimitars and double-bladed-edged axes and spears, and able to run at incredible speeds, the jackal-beasts are truly despicable creatures. They crave blood, and fear nothing. Apparently there is a leader, who is shown as the very first Anubis warrior ever seen by the audience (shown in the picture above) and have a (imaginary) language of their own. As shown in the film, they can only be killed by decapitation, upon then they instantly revert to black sand and dissipate. However, this seems to contradict the Army’s status as “invincible” and “immortal,” although in the movie itself the only warriors shown ‘dying’ in this fashion was the first wave of Anubis soldiers, it is also possible that as they are indeed numberless, they can not be defeated or destroyed entirely and thus they are being called as such. They can be eviscerated by an edged weapon but show no sign of pain, though their movement may be affected as can be seen in the film one of them fell to the ground after having one of its legs cut by a sword. Effectiveness Controversy: Much was made of the apparently poor-written battle scene between the first stage of the Army of Anubis and the Medjai by both skeptical fans and critics, notably Roger Ebert. He stated that it was, “pathetic that thousands of years of ancient curses and spells could engender such an incompetent army of dog-sand-creatures.” However, it could be speculated that the purpose of this small batch was to fool their enemy into a level of self-esteem, which would then make them vulnerable through shock and disbelief to a new attack by the massive, true Army. This would partially explain the confusingly simple manner in which the Medjai defeated the Army, after having been hyped/touted throughout the film prior as the most deadly, invincible army to have ever existed, though it seems unclear why a 'numberless' army would use an strategy like this, specially against such a small number of enemies.